2019年10月27日日曜日 - 
Chris K - The 2019 Rugby World Cup
Well, the Rugby World Cup 2019
has kicked off in Tokyo with Japan beating Russia in the first game. Are you
ready for the rest of the tournament?
Let's take a brief look at
some of the background to this international sporting extravaganza, for those
of you who don't know so much about it.
The Rugby World Cup began in
1987. It began essentially because rugby supporters, fans and players alike,
felt it was time for rugby to be acknowledged as a global sport and enjoy the
same level of recognition as that of the Football (Soccer) World Cup. Many
rugby buffs were saying by the mid-80's, if football has a World Cup, why can't
we?
Since the first Rugby World
Cup in 1987, up to twenty teams have competed every four years for the coveted
World Cup trophy. New Zealand has won the title three times. Other strong
challengers include Australia, England, South Africa, France, Scotland, Ireland
and Wales. Similarly, Argentina, Japan, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa have all proved
to be worthy opponents in games past. At the weaker end of the scale lies the
US and Canada, which seem to be improving a lot in recent years, by the way.
Good luck to all the participating
teams and fans, and may the best team win! But remember, whether we win or
lose, the most important thing is how we play the game! That's true
sportsmanship.
kicked off: 幕を開けた
beating:うち負かす
brief : 手短な
extravaganza: 豪華なショー
essentially: 本質的に
acknowledged: 一般に認められている
recognition: 認識
buffs: ファン
coveted: 切望する
opponents: (試合・議論の)相手